If the Career Cookbook does a follow up interview we'll be sure to include it.

Alvina Ling

Editor, Children's Book PublishingNew York City, New York Written By: Paul ManiaciPosted: 08/27/2006

Alvina Ling has always been passionate about books but never thought of publishing as a career possibility until one of her friends mentioned it. While working at a Barnes & Noble as a bookseller she somehow naturally gravitated towards the children’s section. Alvina now works as an Editor for children’s books at Little, Brown. She is a great example of someone following her interests which led to her doing something that she loves. The Career Cookbook interview spotlights the apprenticeship aspect of book publishing, what goes into editing, and how you need to be a bit of a salesperson in championing your projects.

CCB: When did you realize you wanted to work in book publishing?

AL: It was after graduating from college when I was living in Taipei, Taiwan, studying Mandarin Chinese and teaching English. I had gone there to stall for time while doing something productive because I didn't yet know what career I wanted to pursue. I had made a lot of friends there who were in the same boat, and I remember sitting in arestaurant with some friends after being there over a year, and knowing that I didn't want to stay there forever, even if it was a lot of fun. Some of my friends were thinking about going into consulting, but that didn't appeal to me. I had done radio work and interned at a magazine and at a film production company during college, but although I enjoyed all of these, none of them really felt right to me. Then one of my friends asked me if I had ever considered book publishing because one of his friends was considering it. Even though it had crossed my mind before, since there was very little book publishing on the West Coast at that time where I went to college, I hadn't really seen it as a viable career option. But when he said it, it made senseto me. I had always loved books and reading, so I decided to look into it.

CCB: What appeals to you about working in this field?

AL: Well, I think initially people think that if you work in publishingyou can read all day, which of course is not the case, but I do enjoythat reading and books and literature are a big part of the job. Ilove working with authors and illustrators, and knowing that I'mhelping them achieve their goals. Being in children's booksspecifically, I really love the idea that somewhere there are childrenreading the books I edit. I remember how big an influence books had onmy life when I was growing up, so thinking that I had a hand intouching these young reader's lives is probably the largest appeal.

CCB: Is there a typical day on the job as an editor?

AL: Not really--part of what keeps the job interesting, and why I stillpassionately love doing what I do after almost seven years, is thatevery day is different. The days might start pretty much the same--Iget into the office, have my breakfast while going through my emailsfor maybe the first half hour, and then each day veers apart. One daymight be filled with meetings, another day I might attempt to close mydoor and edit or read (Although most of this work is done athome--either at night or during a work-at-home day). Another day mightbe spent entirely working on one book that has for some reason enteredcrisis mode--maybe the production schedule has been moved up andmaterials need to circulate quickly, etc.

CCB: Please give a brief overview of your career so far.

AL: When I started doing research on how to break into this field, Ibought a book called Making it in Book Publishing by Leonard Mogel,which I believe is out of print now. Since I had absolutely no ideawhat this industry was about, this book became my bible, and I startedoutlining my plan. The book said that New York was really the place tobe, although there were still a few publishers in Boston as well. Thebook also mentioned that bookstore and library experience was a plus,as well as publishing internships. So at the time, since I knew nobodyin New York City, but a few people in Boston, I decided to first tryBoston. When my parents heard of my plan, they told me that mychildhood friend, Grace Lin, was living in Boston, so we got back intouch and decided to be roommates when her lease was up in eight months. I also found out that Grace, who had gone to RISD, had just gotten herfirst book contract with Charlesbridge Publishing for a picture book!

Anyway, since I had some time before moving out to Boston, and since Ididn't want to live at home, I moved to Oakland, CA where a collegefriend had an extra room in his apartment for dirt cheap. It was abasement apartment and pretty dingy, but it was perfect for what Ineeded. I got a job as a bookseller at Barnes & Noble, and also tooksome publishing courses with UC Berkeley Extension, including"Introduction to Book Publishing" and a copyediting course.

While working at B&N, I found myself constantly gravitating towardsthe children's section, so eventually my manager started putting methere as a children's bookseller. After I moved to Boston, Itransferred to the B&N in downtown crossing where I was also placed asa children's specialist. I then did two internships, one as aneditorial intern at Charlesbridge, another as an editorial intern atThe Horn Book (A children's literature review journal). When both ofmy internships were finished, my supervisor at The Horn Book told meabout an editorial assistant position open at Little, Brown, and Iapplied and got the job as Megan Tingley's assistant.

I've pretty much moved up the ranks at Little, Brown at a steady rate,spending about two years at each position, which I think is just aboutaverage. (Editorial Assistant, Assistant Editor, Associate Editor,then Editor) I acquired my first book (under Megan's sponsorship)after being at the job for about a year. That book was Blow out theMoon by Libby Koponen. As an Assistant Editor, I acquired several moretitles, including The Sound of Colors by Jimmy Liao, Santa Baby by JanieBynum, Hippo! No, Rhino by Jeff Newman, and Flight of the Dodo byPeter Brown. As an Associate Editor I acquired mainly novels,including Firegirl by Tony Abbott, The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin,Nothing But The Truth (and a Few White Lies) by Justina Chen Headley,In The Break by Jack Lopez, and Eggs by Jerry Spinelli.

I was promoted to Editor in December of last year--2005. Whew! So,that was probably a little more detailed than you wanted, but it wasfun going back in time!

CCB: How did you learn about editing? Was this a lot of on the job training?

AL: Yes--publishing is considered an apprenticeship, and I basicallylearned from my supervisor and other colleagues how to edit, how towrite editorial letters, how to review mechanicals and galleys, andhow to interact with authors, illustrators, and agents, etc. I alsodraw on my experiences editing my own writing in high school andcollege. I also took a copyediting course after college, althoughcopyediting is very different from the sort of editing I do. Butreally, in terms of the actual editing of a manuscript, my job is toact as the reader, and to point out issues that the general readermight notice or be bothered by. So I learn the most by just reading alot of everything.

CCB: Have you had any mentors in your career?

AL: Yes--my first boss, Megan Tingley, who is now Publisher of LBYR (Little Brown Young Readers), has been a wonderful mentor. Another editorhere who I assisted for a few months, Jennifer Hunt (now Senior Editor) was also a mentor to me. I also participated in my company's formal mentorship program where Ihad three different mentors who helped me understand other aspects ofthe publishing industry, including customer service, operations, andsales.

CCB: What qualities do you need to succeed as an editor?

AL: The love of reading and books is most important, I think. You alsohave to be able to multi-task, be adaptable, work well with people, andsell--both yourself, your books, and your authors.

CCB: Have any advice for people interested in becoming an editor? Is itimportant to become a better reader as far as how you approach yourmaterial, examining things much closer?

AL: Be passionate about books. And if you really want to become a bookeditor, because it's considered an apprenticeship, you pretty muchhave to start at the bottom--as an Editorial Assistant. I don't knowof any book editors who didn't start this way.

In terms of becoming a better reader, there are many different kindsof editors--I personally don't line-edit very much, and am more of abig-picture editor. There are other editors who can really get into amanuscript and line-edit. Some authors prefer/need the former, othersthe latter--it's a matter of finding the right author/editor fit. ButI would say that it's important to get to know the work extremelywell. You have to know the characters almost as well as the author, beable to say if they're doing something out of character or thatdoesn't ring true. When I'm evaluating a book for acquisition, I'lltend to skim, but when I'm reading for editing, I have to slow downand read every word, get to know the work intimately.

CCB: How do you know when a book is edited to the fullest?Is that when it feels like nothing else can be cut?

AL: The answer is that you don't know--I think both the author and I couldwork on a manuscript forever. But at a certain point, you have todeclare it done, so some of this is dictated by the book's scheduleand when it needs to be sent to copyediting. The author and I work ona manuscript, going back and forth many rounds (usually a minimum oftwo rounds, but it can go all the way up to ten rounds or more ifnecessary). I would never send it to copyediting if I didn't feel itwas ready, at a level that was publishable, so if the deadlineapproaches and the manuscript isn't ready, then I would push thepublication date out.

It's interesting that you mentioned cutting in your question--that'sjust one possibility when editing a manuscript. Many times you're notcutting at all, but adding to a manuscript, fleshing it out, addingmore back story, more action, etc.

CCB: Do you have any tips for writers on how they can do some of their own editing?

AL: Become as careful a reader as you can. Notice when you haveinconsistencies, when the pacing needs work, which parts areunrealistic, when you don't have as strong of a handle on one of yourcharacter's personalities as you should, etc. But many times, you needa person other than yourself to read it to notice these things, sojoin writers' groups, or have someone who you trust to read your work.

CCB: Are there certain rules to editing with regards to children's books?

AL: There are no hard and fast rules, but one thing that an editor ofchildren's books has to keep in mind that other editors don't is agerange. If the book is for younger children, we have to make sure thatthe vocabulary and content is suitable. I also feel that, unlike adultbooks, most children's books end on a somewhat hopeful note.

CCB: Do you put yourself in the mindset of a child or young adult when youare reading the titles you are editing? Can you read in the role of aparent?

AL: When I first read a submission, I'm just reading it as myself. Butinevitably during the course of reading it I think about if this wasthe type of book I would have liked as a child. I'll also compare itto competitive titles in the market and will often think, "Teachersand parents and librarians will love this!" But overall, I'm justlooking for my own gut reaction to a book, and if I love it, I knowthere are readers out there who will love it as well. When I'mediting, I will consider whether parts of the book are confusing to achild, or if maybe the pacing is too slow, etc.

CCB: Do you choose the types of projects that you edit?

AL: To an extent--as a more junior editor, many of the projects I'd editand oversee were assigned to me by my supervisor. Now, most of myprojects are my own acquisitions, so I do choose what I work on to acertain extent--however, I do need to get my projects approved by ouracquisitions committee, so not everything I want to work on ends upbeing acquired.

CCB: What is your relationship like with the authors that you edit? Is ithard telling writers how they can improve their manuscripts?

AL: I try to have a friendly relationship with my authors, and many of myauthors have become dear friends. It's not rare to never meet anauthor--to just communicate with them via email and phone, but I dotravel a lot, and try to meet the authors and illustrators I work withwhen I can. It is hard to tell a writer how to improve theirmanuscripts, but I hope that I make it clear how much I love theirwriting overall, so that softens the sting. But I also feel stronglythat the book should 100% be the author's work, that they shouldn'tmake any changes that they don't agree with. I'm simply acting as thereader, and they should take into account my comments--but I'm neveroffended if they choose to disregard them, and give me theirreasoning.

CCB: What is the most difficult part of your job?

AL: The part of my job that I dislike the most is having to rejecthundreds of manuscripts every year. I know that each time I do this, I'm crushing someone's dream or stomping on someone's confidence justa little bit.

Another aspect of my job that I found most challenging at first,although now I enjoy, is how integral being a saleswoman is in my job.I never realized this was such a big part of the job, but I have tosell the projects I love to our acquisitions committee, and once aproject is under contract, I then have to sell it to our sales forcein order for them to turn around and sell the book to their accounts.

CCB: What has been the most rewarding thing about the job so far?

AL: Two things:1) Making an offer on an author's first book, knowing that I'm helpingthem realize their dream of being published2) Hearing feedback about how much someone, either a child or adult,has loved a book that I edited, knowing that the books I help tointroduce to the world are touching people, just as the books I readas a child really touched me.

CCB: People would be surprised to learn what about your job?

AL: That reading, and even editing, take up a relatively small percentageof my time day-to-day. So much more time is spent dealing withschedules, answering emails and phone calls, preparing for variousmeetings, writing copy, etc.

CCB: What surprised you the most?

AL: As I mentioned about, how much of my job is selling. I never thoughtthat public speaking would play such a big role in my job as an editor.

CCB: What do you having coming up career-wise?

AL: I'm finishing up working on my Spring 2007 list right now, and havefour great novels on that list: Eggs by Newbery Medal winner JerrySpinelli, Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson, Going Nowhere Faster by SeanBeaudoin, and Girl Overboard by Justin Chen Headley. Some of my bookscoming out this fall include a hilarious picture book, Chowder byPeter Brown, and a YA (Young Adult) novel in verse Rubber Houses by Ellen Yeomans. I just hope to continue to acquire and edit quality books for youngreaders, books that entertain as well as challenge them, and booksthat fill a need in the marketplace.